LifeSmarts launches 20th anniversary season with all new LifeSmarts.org, other exciting expansions

Washington, DC—The 2013-2014 LifeSmarts season is officially underway this week, with a new competition year going live at the program’s revamped online home, LifeSmarts.org, along with a variety of new coaching and study resources, new opportunities for participants, and new state programs across the country. LifeSmarts is an educational competition run by the National Consumers League that tests middle school and high school students nationwide on real-life consumer issues through online quizzes and live competition. It culminates in the annual national LifeSmarts championship, taking place this season in Orlando, FL, where winning teams and individuals are awarded academic scholarships and prizes.

“We’re thrilled to be launching this, our 20th year of LifeSmarts,” said Program Director Lisa Hertzberg. “LifeSmarts delivers life skills to students and allows them to shine in competitions where they demonstrate their knowledge of personal finance and consumer issues. It also provides thousands of teachers across the country with up-to-date, broad-based consumer education resources.”

Over the years, LifeSmarts has steadily grown in numbers of student and adult participants, state partnerships, and corporate sponsorships. In the most recent season, an estimated 100,000 students and teachers across the country answered more than 3.5 million LifeSmarts questions. This month, LifeSmarts has unveiled a new Web site with better navigation, usability, and social media integration.

“LifeSmarts content is keeping up with an increasingly challenging marketplace, providing the consumer literacy teens need to become the next generation of smart consumers and workers, and the materials are used both for competition and for classroom curriculum across the country,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “The all-new LifeSmarts.org will help students and coaches use study materials more easily, excel at competition, and share their success with others. We are excited to see what new and returning LifeSmarts teens think of the new online home.”

LifeSmarts provides participants with practical advice and information on consumer issues ranging from personal finance and health and safety to the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Starting online each fall, the competition progresses to live state play-offs, and then builds to a high-spirited National Championship. At last year’s national competition held in Atlanta, the Florida team took home top honors after competing for four days against state champion teams from across the country.

Later this month, LifeSmarts will also roll out a major expansion to its LifeSmarts program in partnership with the global safety science company Underwriters Laboratories, UL, providing participants with a community service learning opportunity in their communities.

The National Consumers League partners with volunteer state coordinators in 30 states including Better Business Bureaus, credit unions, consumer protection agencies, and State FCCLA organizations. Interested students and adults can visit the LifeSmarts Web site to connect with the program in their state.

“The National Consumers League’s mission is to inspire confidence and safety in the marketplace,” said Greenberg. “The LifeSmarts program, our consumer education initiative for youth, fosters students’ understanding of consumer issues and provides them with real-world knowledge they will need to take charge of their lives.”

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America's pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.lifesmarts.org, email lifesmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.